SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir planted 1.80 lakh saplings along National Highways in 2025-26, the highest annual figure recorded by the Union territory in the last five years, according to data presented by the Union Government in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said JK planted 47,000 saplings in 2021-22, followed by 87,000 in 2022-23, 86,000 in 2023-24, 1.27 lakh in 2024-25 and 1.80 lakh in 2025-26. The figures indicate a nearly four-fold increase in plantation activity in the Union territory over the five-year period.
Across the five years, JK planted a total of about 5.17 lakh saplings along National Highways. The Union territory’s annual plantation figures remained below those of most major states, with Madhya Pradesh recording 5.80 lakh saplings and Maharashtra 5.25 lakh in 2025-26 alone.
The data was provided by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari in response to Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1222 on Green Highway Projects.
Nationally, more than 3.61 crore saplings were planted along approximately 1.32 lakh km of National Highways during the last five years under the Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy, 2015. JK’s five-year contribution of about 5.17 lakh saplings accounted for roughly 1.4 per cent of the national total.
The Ministry said plantation is undertaken on available surplus median and roadside land within the Right of Way of National Highway stretches, either as part of highway projects or through standalone plantation drives, in accordance with Indian Roads Congress guidelines.
The Centre said the cost of plantation and environmental mitigation is generally incorporated into the overall cost of National Highway projects, with expenditure met from funds allocated for highway development and maintenance to the concerned state, Union territory or implementing agency. Standalone plantation works are also financed from the overall funds allocated for National Highway works.
The Ministry said the Government was promoting the use of recycled materials, waste products and environmentally friendly technologies in highway construction and maintenance. These include bamboo crash barriers, fly ash and pond ash in embankments and structural works, reclaimed asphalt pavement in bituminous layers, and construction and demolition waste and recycled aggregates.
The use of plastic waste in bituminous mixes, natural geotextiles such as jute and coir, slag, bio-bitumen and molasses, crumb rubber and treated sewage water from sewage treatment plants is also being promoted where technically feasible and in accordance with prescribed guidelines.
The Government has also integrated tree plantation and carbon-offsetting measures into National Highway projects. The Ministry said Miyawaki plantations and drone-based monitoring of plantation activities had been introduced to increase green cover and improve monitoring.
Where tree felling is unavoidable for highway development, compensatory afforestation and tree transplantation are undertaken, the Ministry said.
The Centre said green initiatives, energy-efficient construction technologies, digital monitoring and improved environmental management practices were being used to reduce emissions, conserve natural resources and minimise the environmental impact of highway construction.
